


loved by the stars

by mochiwrites



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon Slayer Lucy Heartfilia, F/M, Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lucy Heartfilia-centric, One Big Happy Family, Protective Natsu Dragneel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochiwrites/pseuds/mochiwrites
Summary: The following months Lucy spent with her parents were some of the happiest months of her life. She learned so much in that time, and she wished desperately that she could tell Stella all about it. As a result, Lucy began to keep a journal of everything so that she could tell Stella when she found her again.Life was good.But not all good things last forever.
Relationships: Fairy Tail Guild & Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia, Happy & Lucy Heartfilia, Layla Heartfilia & Lucy Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia & Original Character(s), Lucy Heartfilia & Wendy Marvell, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

“Stella! Stella look!” A small girl runs up to a large figure who’s very shadow looms over her, blocking the sun from her sight. The young girl looks up at the figure, a large smile on her face, framed by her blonde hair. In front of her rests a large, golden dragon. 

Sparkling green eyes stare at the girl with curiosity, as the dragon tilts her head. “Mm, what is it dear?” Looking down at the little girl, the creature smiles at her. She readjusts slightly, crossing her large scaly arms. 

“ _Look!_ ” The girl cries, pointing to a spot in the dirt a few steps away from where she’s standing. “I wrote out a whole sentence!” She giggles with pride, beaming. 

“Oh, Lucy…” The dragon gasps, mouth falling open as warmth grips her heart. She stares at the sentence written in dirt on the ground, _‘I love spending time with Stella’._ Stella reads over the words a few more times, and each time she does so, a new burst of warmth explodes in her chest. The dragon chuckles, “Your handwriting definitely needs work. And what have I told you about ending your sentences with periods?” 

Lucy looks up at her and pouts, stomping her foot into the ground, “Geez! I spent days studying those lessons you gave me just for you to make a big deal out of my handwriting?!” She all but shouts, clearly bothered by her foster mother’s actions. 

The dragon simply laughs, the sound vibrating the ground around them. “Hey now, I never said it was _bad_ , Lucy.” She says once she’s stopped her laughter. Lucy simply pouts at her and crosses her arms, looking away. Stella chuckles quietly and smiles at the human girl, “In fact, handwriting and punctuation aside, you did a very good job.” She praises, making Lucy gasp and look back at her. 

“Really?! You mean it?!” The girl exclaims, eyes shining with hope. 

Stella grins, “Of course!” She replies joyfully. 

“Yay!” Lucy giggles, running forward and happily smushing herself against Stella’s arm. “I love you, Stella!” 

The dragon’s eyes soften. She raises a clawed hand and gently presses Lucy against her arm. She loves her too. So very dearly. 

When she first heard of this plan to defeat Acnologia, Stella had been against it. She hadn’t wanted to train a human child, she didn’t see the need for it. The dragon didn’t need some human child depending on her. But as Stella looks upon this small girl in her arms, she couldn’t be happier that she was made to help. She had been a bit cold to the child at first, refusing to get close to her. But Lucy had wormed her way into her old heart, and Stella had no choice but to welcome her. 

Lucy is an absolute delight, a brightly shining star.

Lucy jumps back and peers up at the dragon with curious eyes, “So what are we doing today, Stella?” 

“Training of course. You’ve still got magic to learn.” Stella replies, huffing. Lucy sighs in response, shoulders sagging. “Lets go, miss. You can pout about it later.” She instructs, already seeing the beginnings of a pout on the girl’s face. 

“Okay...” 

As Stella moves toward a clearing in the forest with the young girl following her, she cuts off any thoughts about the future. She does not think about having to part with her daughter. 

* * *

Lucy wakes up early one morning, and her chest feels tight. She sits up from the cold forest floor, looking around at her surroundings. The usual sight of a sleeping giant golden dragon does not greet her. Lucy has always been somewhat of an early bird, having woken up before her dragon mother many times before. 

It isn’t normal to see the dragon already awake, but for some reason something feels wrong. 

Pushing herself up into a standing position, Lucy glances at the trees, confused. “Where’d Stella go..?” She wonders, trying to ignore the unusual pressure in her stomach. Taking a few steps, she investigates the area. The trees are all undisturbed and the usual spot that Stella lays in is cold, no warmth to be found. “Maybe she just went to get food.” The young dragon slayer reasons. 

Convincing herself that that must be the reason, Lucy decides to practice on her work. Stella wouldn’t be happy to come home and see her slacking off. With this in mind, Lucy writes sentences and words, practicing her spelling and punctuation. She does this for hours until she switches to practicing her magic. 

This continues for hours until nightfall. 

There’s still no sign of Stella, and the pressure that’s been building up in Lucy all day nearly spills over. Lucy collapses against the trunk of a tree, exhausted. “Stella…” She mutters, wanting to cry. Stella has never left her for this long before, in fact, she’s never left Lucy at all, not without telling her first. So why has she suddenly gone away like this? Why hasn’t she come back yet? 

Maybe she got lost on the way back? If that’s the case, then Lucy should go find her! 

Getting up from the tree, Lucy begins to walk through the forest. She looks around for the dragon, expecting it to be an easy task. It isn’t hard to find a giant golden dragon in a forest of green, after all. It isn’t hard, but for some reason Lucy doesn’t find her anywhere. There’s no signs that Stella even went this way, but she keeps walking. 

She begins to run through the forest, calling out for the dragon. She runs and runs, not caring about what direction she’s going in. She has one goal in mind, nothing else matters to her. 

It isn’t until well into the night that Lucy finally collapses onto her knees in tears. “She… s-she left…” She stammers, choking on her cries. “S-Stella…” She sobs, looking up at the night sky. “Where d-did you go?! Why did you leave me?!” She screams to the sky, sobs wracking her body. 

She stays there for what feels like hours, screaming and crying for her dragon mother. 

But she never appears. 

* * *

Lucy isn’t sure how long she’s been wandering the forest for, it feels like it’s been days. She had briefly returned to the spot that she and Stella used to stay, hoping that the dragon would appear. 

When she didn’t, Lucy knew it was time to go. She grabbed her small bag and took off. 

She doesn’t have a clear destination in mind. She simply walks. The forest goes on forever, Lucy can’t even see the end of it. She hopes she isn’t going in circles. She just walks forward, trying not to cry. She tells herself to be strong like Stella would want her to be. Stella would tell her to stop being a crybaby and dry her tears, that she'd be just fine. 

So Lucy doesn’t cry. Or at least… she tries her best not to. 

She presses onward through the forest until she finally, _finally_ gets past it. In front of her is a road, and as she steps onto it, Lucy’s chest constricts. She doesn’t know where to go from here. The forest and Stella are all she’s ever known. And she’s about to walk away from it, she’s about to leave it. 

She stands there, staring off as she struggles to breathe. Tears well up in her eyes but she doesn’t let them fall. She immediately brings her arm up and wipes her eyes. _‘I won’t cry!’_ She tells herself. 

Having been so distracted by her despair and inner conflict, she didn’t realize the sounds her ears were picking up on. 

“Get out of the way!” 

Her head snaps up at the sound of someone yelling only to see two horses heading straight for her. Letting out a yell, Lucy dives to the side, just barely avoiding the weird box thing being pulled by two animals. She lands roughly, the ground scratching her knees and hands. She winces as her scratched limbs sting her, and ignores the tears building in the corners of her eyes. She pushes herself up onto her knees and tries to calm herself down.

She almost died just now! 

“Oh dear, are you alright?” A soft voice asks, startling Lucy from her thoughts. The girl looks up from the ground to see a woman running over to her. Lucy blinks as she approaches her, looking at her with kind and gentle eyes. The woman bends down to her, scanning her for injuries. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” Her voice is warm and soothing, and for some reason Lucy is closer to tears than before. 

"M-My hands and knees got a little scratched up, b-but I'm okay..." She stammers in reply, watching as the woman takes her small hands into her own and observes them.

A small frown finds it way on her face. "You should wash these, it'd be bad if you left the dirt on your hands like this." The woman says softly, raising her eyes to look back at Lucy. "I think my carriage passed by a small lake on the way here," She gives Lucy a smile, "Let's go get you cleaned up, yes?" Surprised by her kindness, Lucy nods and stands up on two shaking legs to follow the woman. 

The woman continues to hold her hand as she leads the way to the lake, nodding her head at the man sitting in front of the strange box, holding ropes that connect to the animals. _'Horses.'_ Lucy's mind supplies. 

Silence follows the two blondes as they reach the body of water. 

Gently, the woman has Lucy sit on the ledge of the lake, sinking her bare feet into the water. Producing a cloth from her pocket, the woman sits beside her and dips it into the water. "May I see your hand?" She asks, and hesitantly, Lucy places her hand in the woman's. With a smile, the woman begins to gently move the wet cloth over the scratches on Lucy's hand. She winces at the slight stinging. "I know it must be uncomfortable, I'm sorry." The woman apologizes. 

Lucy simply nods her head in response, watching the woman clean her hand. She stares as the water cleans away the dirt from her palm, leaving behind soft red lines from where her hand hit the ground. 

"Other hand?" Nodding, Lucy switches out her hands and the process is repeated. The woman dips her cloth into the water again, cleaning off some of the dirt from Lucy's right hand. Taking hold of her left, the woman offers her a smile, "I'm Layla." She finally introduces. 

"Lucy..." She replies, and Layla's smile brightens. 

"Lucy is a beautiful name." She hums, "My husband and I wanted to name our daughter Lucy if we ever had one. We had gotten the idea from a broken sign of an old merchant guild," Layla giggles, "The 'K' in Lucky had been missing so it read 'Love & Lucy' instead." 

Despite the slight stinging in her hand, Lucy giggles herself, a shy smile beginning to spread out on her face. 

Shortly after that, Layla finishes cleaning her hands and knees and smiles softly at Lucy. "There, all clean. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt." She says, and Lucy gives her another smile. 

"Thank you, Miss Layla." She says. 

"There's no need to thank me." Layla replies, "But you shouldn't stand in the middle of the road like that, okay?" Lucy nods in response, making a mental note to avoid getting lost in thought like that again. Layla smiles once more as she gently advises, "Good. Now you should hurry home, Lucy. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." 

An image of Stella flashes in Lucy's mind and she feels a pang in her chest. With a newfound fury, the tears return to Lucy's eyes and before she knows it, she's diving right into the woman’s arms, wailing about how Stella disappeared and no matter how hard she looked, Lucy couldn’t find her. She hears the woman gasp softly before she feels two arms wrap around her, holding her gently. The embrace only makes Lucy sob harder. Layla lets her cry, simply holding her and brushing through her hair in a comforting manner. 

When Lucy’s sobs finally die down, the woman pulls back and kneels before wiping the remaining tears from her face. "Lucy... do you have anywhere safe to stay?" She inquires. 

Lucy stares up at her, thinking back to her home in the forest. But Lucy doesn’t really know if that could be considered home anymore. Stella isn’t there after all. So she shakes her head. Layla looks at her with a soft gaze, “Would you like to stay with my husband and I then?” She questions, and Lucy’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“Really..?” She asks, staring at the woman in disbelief. “Is it… is it really okay?” 

Layla smiles once again, “Of course it is. No child should be left alone in a forest like this.” 

Lucy wants to cry all over again but she doesn’t. Instead she smiles a tearful smile and hugs Layla once more. “Thank you!” She exclaims, feeling a warmth in her chest. “Thank you so much Miss Layla!” She can hardly how kind this woman is. _'She's as kind as Stella.'_

Together, the two of them return to the weird looking thing that the two horses were pulling. It looked like some sort of box except it had four circular things on each side and a little platform in front where a person was sitting. 

Lucy, feeling a bit intimidated by it, looks to Layla for reassurance. The woman gives her a smile before opening the door for her as she explains, “It’s alright Lucy, it’s just a carriage. We can travel quickly in this.” 

Warily, Lucy nods and goes inside, sitting on the cushioned seat. She slides all the way to the other end with the window, in awe of it. She’s never sat on something so comfortable before! Layla gets in after her. “Take us back to the estate please.” She says as she closes the door. Lucy guesses she was talking to the person outside, but before she could ask about it, the box starts to move. 

As the carriage starts to move, Lucy feels a sudden wave of dizziness hit her and she feels the urge to hurl. She moans quietly in discomfort, causing Layla to turn to her with concern. “Are you alright, Lucy?” She asks. 

Lucy shakes her head which only makes her dizzy spell worsen. She opts for trying to speak instead, “D-Dizzy…” She struggles to explain it all, too afraid of puking. 

Layla frowns at her discomfort. “Oh my… were you dizzy this whole time?” Without thinking, Lucy shakes her head. She groans. Layla falls quiet but Lucy pays it no mind. She simply leans against the wall of the carriage, wishing for this dizziness to end soon. 

And when her world tilts, Lucy gags, almost vomiting. Her head hits something soft. Odd, the wall didn’t feel this soft before. Confused, she forces herself to open her eyes and she sees that her head is laying in Layla’s lap. She hears gentle humming and fingers brushing through her hair like earlier. “M-Miss..?” She stammers out. 

“Try and sleep, Lucy. I’ll wake you up when we reach the estate.” Layla’s soothing voice reaches her ears and Lucy hums in response. 

She shuts her eyes and falls asleep to the soft tune of Layla’s humming. 

* * *

When Lucy wakes up, she feels something soft beneath her. One by one, her senses come back to her. An odd scent hits her nostrils, one she’s never smelled before. Normally she can hear the sound of chirping birds and different critters in the forest, but her ears don’t pick up any of that. 

Confused, Lucy pushes herself up and that’s when she feels more softness under her palms. She looks down and sees some white cushioning beneath her, along with what appears to be a pink blanket covering her. 

Everything comes back to her at once, and the first thing she feels is panic. She pats the area around her, not feeling anything except the soft mattress and the blanket. “My pouch! Where is it?!” She cries, looking around the bed. She catches sight of it from the corner of her eye, seeing it on the nightstand. Hugging it to her chest, she sighs in relief. 

“Where am I?” She then wonders aloud. She puts the bag on before standing up. She looks around at the room she’s in, but nothing helps in figuring out where she is. There’s a window, but all she can see from there is a large fountain of water with a statue and miles and miles of green. The door to the room suddenly opens and the woman from before walks in. Lucy looks at her in surprise, “Miss Layla!” She exclaims. 

Layla smiles warmly at her. “Lucy! I’m so relieved you’re awake!” She says. “I know I said I’d wake you when we reached the estate, but you seemed incredibly tired. Are you hungry?” 

Lucy is about to shake her head when she’s interrupted by a loud growl. She blushes in embarrassment while Layla giggles. “I’ll bring you to the dining hall, there’s someone I’d like for you to meet.” Layla hums as she holds out a hand. 

Shyly, Lucy takes it and she lets the woman lead her downstairs. The stairs are covered by a red fabric that reaches all the way to the last step. The walls are covered with paintings with so much color Lucy has never seen before. Large lights hang overhead, illuminating the place quite nicely. 

Once they reach the first floor, Lucy is led to the rather large dining hall. Numerous windows line the walls, each covered by red curtains. People are bustling about, carrying plates and trays. Having grown up in a secluded forest, Lucy has never seen so many people before. She moves a bit closer to Layla, which doesn’t go unnoticed.

They stop right in front of a large table filled with empty chairs. On top of the table are numerous plates of food, and the combined sight and smell makes Lucy’s stomach grumble once again. However, what steals her attention, is the man sitting at the head of the table. She looks at him curiously, and when he looks back at her, she jumps behind Layla. 

“There’s no need to be afraid, Lucy.” Layla giggles quietly as she turns to look at her. “That man there is my husband, Jude. I know he looks all intimidating, but I promise you, he’s very nice.” She explains gently, trying to coax Lucy out from behind her. 

The man, Jude, stands from the table and walks over to her. He kneels before her with a kind smile, “Hello, Lucy.” He greets. 

Lucy peeks out from behind Layla, “H-Hello…” 

Jude’s smile widens at her response. “How are you feeling? Layla told me you felt quite dizzy on the ride here.” He questions. 

“I’m okay now.” Lucy responds. “I don’t feel dizzy anymore.” 

“Oh, good!” Jude hums in response before he glances over at the table full of food. “Are you hungry? All of that traveling must have made you work up an appetite.” He says, and Lucy nods. “Let’s all eat then, shall we?” 

The three of them take a seat at the table and begin to eat. Still a bit shy, Lucy eats quietly, while Layla and Jude steal glances at her every once in a while. The two adults seem to be silently communicating with one another every time their eyes meet, not that Lucy really notices. 

“So, Lucy,” Layla speaks, grabbing the girl’s attention, “How old are you?” 

Lucy hums quietly, “I’m ten.” 

“And you were wandering around in the forest alone?” Jude asks, eyes wide. “Where are your parents?” 

Lucy tenses and whimpers quietly. Her hands rest in her lap and grip tightly at her pink shirt. “S-Stella disappeared…” She mumbles in reply. 

“What an irresponsible person, leaving their daughter alone like that.” Lucy hears Jude grumble under his breath. 

“Stella isn’t irresponsible, and she isn’t a person! She’s a dragon!” The girl cries, and Jude looks at her in shock. Layla’s eyes widen. 

“You said… that she’s a dragon?” Layla questions in surprise. 

“Mhm! Stella is a giant golden dragon! She raised me in the forest!” Lucy exclaims in response. Jude stares at her with shock, but before he can say anything, Layla breaks out into a coughing fit. 

“Layla!” Jude exclaims, rushing up from his seat. He goes over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I told you not to push yourself today, even if you are feeling better.” He says, frowning. 

Layla offers him a weak smile, “I’m alright. It’s just a—” She’s interrupted by her coughs once more, and Jude holds her. 

“You need to go back to bed and rest. I’ll call the doctor to come look at you.” Jude tells her before a woman comes over to escort Layla away. Jude watches them leave, concern for his wife pooling in his gut. He sighs quietly, dragging a hand down his face out of stress and worry. 

“U-Um…” A shy voice asks, reminding Jude that he isn’t alone. He turns to the young girl, “Is Miss Layla alright?” Lucy timidly asks him.

Covering up his growing worry for his wife, Jude nods, “She’s just a bit sick, that’s all. She pushed herself too hard today.” 

Lucy frowns and looks down at her lap, feeling guilty. She hears footsteps approach her but doesn’t look up until she feels a weight on her head. She looks up and sees Jude standing next to her, a small smile on his face, “Don’t worry, Lucy. Layla’s a strong one.” He says, and Lucy nods. 

Jude pats her head one last time before humming, “Do you like this place, Lucy?” He asks her. 

Lucy looks up at him, nodding. “Miss Layla is very nice, and the food is really yummy!” She says.

Cracking a smile, Jude chuckles. “Well then, would you like to stay with us?” He offers, just like Layla did. Lucy’s eyes widen, not expecting the offer a second time. 

With tears in her eyes, she nods. 

And just like that, she’s welcomed into the Heartfilia home. 

* * *

Life with Layla and Jude Heartfilia is wonderful for little Lucy. They treat her like their daughter, and while no one could ever replace Stella, they become something like parents to Lucy. She learns that the Heartfilias own a rather successful business and they’re very prim and proper. At first, Lucy felt very out of place, considering she was raised in the forest and by a dragon. Taking everything in had been incredibly overwhelming at first. She had to pay attention to so many things like which fork to use and which spoon was appropriate to use to eat with. 

Lucy had been terrified that she’d embarrass Layla and Jude, and was determined to learn everything she could to avoid that. And thankfully that paid off. By the start of her second month with the Heartfilias, Lucy behaved as a proper young lady. 

She gets her own room and plenty of clothes. She likes the pretty dresses that she wears a lot. Jude hires tutors to teach her and further her education. She doesn’t see him much during the day since he’s always busy in his office, but she sees her plenty during dinner and the weekends. 

Layla, however, Lucy sees her just about every day. When she isn’t studying with her tutors, she’s spending time with Layla. Layla shows her the library and Lucy tells her about Stella and her magic. 

And when Layla told Lucy that she also used magic, Lucy was amazed. The woman explained it as celestial spirit magic, and even summoned a spirit to show Lucy. However, that didn’t last long as Layla grew weak from using her power. She was in bed for two days and when Lucy found out what happened, she cried from guilt. She spent both days cuddled up to Layla’s side, while the woman reassured her it wasn’t her fault. 

Upon seeing Lucy’s growing interest in her magic, Layla offered to teach her. After all, Lucy herself had said that she wasn’t very good with her dragon slaying magic, and Layla had no one else to pass her magic on to. 

So she entrusted her keys to Lucy, and taught her all she knew. 

She told Lucy stories of an old wizard guild she had once been a part of, amazing the young girl with her stories of bravery. Lucy had begun to idolize wizards and found herself wanting to be like her second mother. She told Layla this and the woman smiled at her before telling her to follow her dreams. 

And follow them she did. 

The following months Lucy spent with her parents were some of the happiest months of her life. She learned so much in that time, and she wished desperately that she could tell Stella all about it. As a result, Lucy began to keep a journal of everything so that she could tell Stella when she found her again. 

Life was good.

But not all good things last forever. 

* * *

Lucy is woken up in the middle of the night by Layla. The woman is hurriedly shaking her, panic in her face. “Mama? What’s wrong?” Lucy asks her, rubbing the grit from her eyes. Layla hurries her out of bed, avoiding her question. As Lucy stands, she watches the woman glance outside the window. “Mama?”

Layla turns back to her, frowning as she shuts the curtains, “Hurry, put your shoes on.” She says, and Lucy complies through her confusion. As soon as she has her shoes on, Layla grabs her pouch and puts it on her before taking her hand. Layla then grabs her hand, practically running out of the girl’s room. She’s never seen the woman so panicked before. 

Lucy tries her best not to trip as they hurry downstairs, but with how fast Layla is running, Lucy stumbles a few times. She quickly picks herself back up though and hurries after the woman. 

The house that normally feels warm and comforting now feels cold and nerve wracking. Lucy doesn’t understand what’s going on, what’s made Layla act so panicked like this? Is something bad happening? Has it already happened? Are they in danger? “Mama, what’s going on?!” Lucy exclaims, hoping for an answer. 

Layla glances back at her, “I’m sorry, but there isn’t much time to explain!” 

Lucy only feels more confused as she does nothing but allow Layla to pull her onwards. She lets go of Lucy’s hand only to push the door to the house open. “Come on!” Layla exclaims, grabbing Lucy’s hand once again. 

They make it to the front of the mansion, where a carriage is waiting out front. Lucy’s stomach is already doing flips at the sight of it. Layla goes over to it and opens the door, and upon seeing her daughter’s apprehension, she gently pushes her inside. Lucy climbs in before holding a hand out to her mother. Instead of taking her hand, Layla presses an envelope into it with a sad smile. Looking down at it, Lucy realizes that her mother won’t be joining her. “I don’t understand, what’s going on?!” She cries. 

Layla rests her forehead against hers. “I’m sorry Lucy, I wish I had the time to explain but I don’t.” She says, voice shaking. “You need to listen to what I say, okay? It’s important.” 

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Lucy nods. She tries to keep her tears at bay as she listens to her mother’s instructions. 

Lightning cracks loudly in the sky, startling Lucy. Layla pulls her head away and cups one of Lucy’s cheeks. With a sad smile, she brushes a few of the girl’s tears. “Don’t cry, Lucy. It’ll be alright.” She says softly. Letting go of her, Layla grabs her necklace, where two golden gate keys hang. She takes it off before putting it on Lucy. “Our time together may have been short, but know that I love you dearly, Lucy.” 

“I love you too!” Lucy cries in response. “Please don’t go!” She begs, and her mother gives her one last sad smile. Layla takes a step back and the door shuts, leaving Lucy alone. “No! Mama!” She screams as the vehicle takes off. 

Lucy’s motion sickness kicks in and she slumps against the seat, sobbing. She doesn’t understand what’s going on, she doesn’t know why her mother had to say goodbye. 

She glances down at the envelope in her hands, still crying as she remembers her mother’s instructions. 

_Find Fairy Tail’s guild master, Makarov, and give him this letter._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!~ thank you for reading the first chapter of my new fic :3 I absolutely love the concept of lucy being a dragon slayer, so I couldn't pass up the chance to play around with the concept!~ updates will be slow for a bit since I've got other works and midterms are coming up ;;; I have just about everything planned out, but no idea how long this'll be lmao 
> 
> with that, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and I'll see you next chapter! thank you for reading! <3


	2. Chapter 2

After traveling for who knows how long, Lucy arrives in Magnolia, the home of the Fairy Tail guild. She steps out of the carriage with shaky legs and a queasy feeling in her gut. She holds the letter from her mother in two trembling hands, and she forces herself to walk. She’s barely slept since her mother woke her up and sent her to Magnolia. She’s been running on nothing but adrenaline. 

She ends up walking around town for a little bit, feeling rather overwhelmed in the new space. People are just about everywhere, and Lucy has never been in such a crowded space before. So many new scents and sounds for her to take in. She manages to avoid walking into someone, and in the process gets lost. 

And as soon as she realizes she’s lost, she feels like crying. But Lucy is the daughter of Stella the Dragon and the Heartfilias. She won’t cry. 

Instead, she pushes the urge to cry away and asks for directions to the Fairy Tail guild. 

The few people that she approaches look shocked to see a young girl asking about the town’s rambunctious wizard guild, but they give her directions. Diligently, she follows each direction as best as possible until finally, she reaches the guild. 

Looking up at the enormous building in front of her, Lucy’s eyes widen and she suddenly feels very, very small in comparison. She feels a pit of uneasiness in her stomach and her resolve wavers. Staring down at the letter in her hands, she shakes her head. She has to do this! 

Lucy reaches a hand out and pushes on the doors. Nervously, she peeks in and sees absolute chaos in the guild hall. People are sitting at tables chatting, while others are full out fighting. A few people at the bar seem to be watching the fights, laughing. Suddenly Lucy feels a lot more nervous than before. 

Timidly, she steps inside. 

Right as a pink haired boy comes flying toward her. 

Lucy squeaks and quickly evades him. The boy crashes into the doors, landing with a groan. Lucy can only stare at him with wide eyes, not even realizing that all eyes are now on her. 

“U-Um… are you—” “WHAT THE HECK ERZA?! DID YOU HAVE TO THROW ME SO HARD?!” 

The pink haired boy jumps up, rubbing the back of his head with a wince. His shout easily overpowered Lucy’s question, and she simply just stands back and stares at him. However, she doesn’t go unnoticed by the boy, and she sees him start to sniff before his eyes land on her. 

He blinks, “Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before…” He says, and Lucy looks down at her shoes. She starts to feel the coil of anxiety tighten. 

“I um… I’d like to um…” She stammers, suddenly very aware of all of the eyes on her. 

“You’d like to..?” The boy prompts, tilting his head to the side. 

“Geez, let the poor girl breathe, Natsu.” Someone says. Lucy looks up and sees a red haired girl walking over to them. The boy, Natsu, tenses and glares at her as she comes over. The girl gives Lucy a smile, “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t the best introduction to our guild. I’m Erza Scarlet, and you?” 

Lucy fidgets under her stare, “L-Lucy…” 

Erza smiles at her once again, “It’s nice to meet you Lucy. What business do you have with Fairy Tail?” She questions, and while she sounds kind, there’s a certain edge to her voice that makes Lucy even more nervous. 

“Well I um… I…” She can’t get the words out and it only makes her frustrated. Why is she so nervous? Sure these people are a bit intimidating, but she was raised by a dragon! That’s like… the most intimidating creature ever! 

“What’s going on over here?” A new person cuts in and the three children look over to see an old man walking over to them. 

“Oh, Master. I was just asking Lucy here about her intentions with the guild.” Erza explains, but Lucy barely pays attention. She’s too focused on the old man and what Erza called him. 

“Are you… Makarov..?” Lucy questions, her voice shaking. 

The man looks at her, nodding, “Yes, I am. Do you need something, child?” He asks, but not unkindly. 

Lucy quickly nods her head and without her permission, the tears return and she sniffles. She hands the envelope to him, “P-Please… m-my mother…” She cries. 

Makarov looks at her in surprise as he accepts the envelope. As soon as it’s in his hands, there’s a tension that leaves Lucy’s body and she suddenly feels  _ exhausted _ . With that, she seems to lose control of her muscles and she’s plummeting to the floor, eyes closing. 

On her way down, she feels two warm arms catch her. 

* * *

“Whoa, I gotcha!” As soon as the girl drops towards the floor, Natsu dashes forward and catches her. Erza grabs her a few seconds later and they look to their guild master with confusion. 

“Is she okay?!” Lisanna exclaims as she runs over, Elfman not too far behind her. 

Natsu looks over at her, shrugging, "She just passed out after giving Gramps the letter." 

“She must've come a long way then, she's probably exhausted. We should bring her to the infirmary for now until she wakes up.” Erza suggests before looking to Makarov. 

He nods his approval before looking down at the envelope in his hands. “Erza, Lisanna, I’ll trust the two of you to look after her for now.” He says, and the two girls nod in response. 

“Aw, but I wanna look after her too!” Natsu pouts. 

“No way! You’d probably just scare her again!” Lisanna replies as Erza gently takes the girl from Natsu. 

“Would not!” The boy exclaims in response as the three girls head to the guild’s infirmary upstairs. 

Chuckling at his childrens antics, Makarov heads to his office to read the mysterious girl’s letter. He closes the door behind him as he enters and sits in his chair. He then opens the envelope and begins to read. 

_ ‘Master,  _

_ It has been quite some time, Master Makarov, I hope you are well. I hope you’ll forgive me for my sudden request. A few months ago I met a little girl named Lucy. She had been wandering the forest all alone, searching for her dragon mother, Stella. My husband and I took her in, hoping we could provide a good home for her. However, it seems that I made a mistake, one that’s going to cost me dearly. For Lucy’s safety, I sent her to you. Please welcome her to your guild, Master. She’s been dreaming of joining Fairy Tail since I told her about the guild, and I know she’ll find a wonderful family there. Please protect my daughter.’  _

Reading a bit further into the letter, Makarov closes his eyes and sighs quietly. His children never stop running into trouble, do they?

* * *

When Lucy wakes up, she finds herself in a mysterious place. Confused, she looks around and sees she’s laying in a bed. She feels a bit of deja vu as she remembers something extremely familiar happening the day she met Layla. Glancing around, she finds some sort of sheet hanging around her, cutting off her view of wherever she is. She looks down at the white sheets covering her and finds that her pouch and necklace is still on her. She sighs quietly in relief. 

Faintly, Lucy wonders where she is. She didn’t just randomly pass out somewhere, did she? Oh she really hopes not! That’d be so embarrassing. 

And then— everything hits her at once and she remembers. Her mother, the envelope, making it to Fairy Tail. Her eyes water. 

Before Lucy can do anything else, she hears the door open, accompanied by the sounds of footsteps. She tenses immediately at the sound and without warning, the sheet is pulled back, allowing Lucy to see where she is. She sees a few other beds in the room and a table against the white walls with papers and packets on it. She blinks in surprise as she sees two girls in front of her. 

She recognizes one of the girls as Erza from before, but she doesn’t know the shorter white haired girl. Erza’s eyes land on her first, “Oh good, you’re awake.” 

Not knowing what to say, Lucy nods in response. 

The white haired girl leans in close, “How are you feeling? You gave everyone quite a scare!” She says. 

“O-Oh, I’m okay…” Lucy answers, and the girl smiles. 

“Good, I’m going to go let Master know you’re awake.” Erza informs with a kind smile, “If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask.” She says, and there’s a certain air around her that makes her seem incredibly mature. Her long braid sways as she turns around and walks to the door. Lucy can’t help but stare in awe. 

“Erza’s as diligent as ever.” The other girl giggles, causing Lucy to focus on her. She then turns to face Lucy, choppy white hair bouncing slightly with the action. “I’m Lisanna by the way, it’s nice to meet you, Lucy!” She exclaims, looking at Lucy with cheerful blue eyes. 

“It’s… nice to meet you too.” Lucy replies, giving Lisanna a shy smile. She then looks down at her lap, feeling a bit awkward. 

Lisanna happily pulls a chair over and sits down. Placing her palms on the seat, she leans forward, “Do you want anything? I can get you some water if you’d like!” She offers, but Lucy shakes her head in response. “Ah, okay!” Lisanna replies, and Lucy worries that she might have just made things awkward between her and the other girl. But then Lisanna eyes her curiously and asks, “What’s that around your neck? They look like keys!” 

Instinctively, Lucy’s hand reaches for the two golden keys from her mother and she finds comfort from the cool metal beneath her palm. “They’re Gate Keys, for two of the twelve Zodiac Keys.” She explains. 

“Really?” Lisanna gasps with awe, “Is that your magic then? What keys do you have?” She inquires, her eyes suddenly shining with curiosity. 

A small smile forms on Lucy’s face, “The Water Bearer, Aquarius, and The Great Crab, Cancer. They’re my—” She cuts herself off as she realizes what she’s about to say and without her permission, tears spring to her eyes. The smile fades from her face as she murmurs, “They were my mother’s Celestial Spirits…” 

Lisanna’s eyes widen as she sees the tears pooling in Lucy’s eyes and she rushes to comfort the girl, “Oh, Lucy, I’m sorry!” She exclaims as she rises from her seat and wraps her arms around the blonde. 

Surprised by Lisanna’s action, Lucy finds herself leaning into her arms, sniffling softly. “I-It’s okay…” She mumbles quietly. 

Lisanna pulls away and sits back down, a small frown on her face. Lucy can’t help but feel a little bad for suddenly crying like that. But before she can apologize, the door opens and Erza returns, this time with Makarov trailing behind her. The old man walks up to her bed with a gentle smile, “I’m glad to see that you’re awake, Lucy. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay…” Lucy replies, and his smile widens at her response. 

“Good.” He hums before turning to both Lisanna and Erza, “I’d like to speak with Lucy in private, girls. Mind waiting outside?” He asks. 

“Not at all,” Erza immediately replies as Lisanna stands up. 

She turns to Lucy with a small smile, “I’ll see you later, Lucy!” Lucy nods in response as she and Erza leave the room. 

Makarov focuses his attention on the girl before him, remembering the letter he had read hours ago. The letter from his old friend, along with the story of Lucy tugs at his heartstrings. Children like Lucy are exactly why Fairy Tail exists, and as soon as he read that letter his mind was made up. He can only hope that Lucy will accept his proposition. He looks at the child before him and speaks, “I understand that your mother sent you to us for your protection.” 

At the mention of her mother, Lucy looks up at Makarov, surprised. “She… sent me here for protection..?” She asks. It makes sense, after all. Her mother was adamant about getting Lucy out of the house and somewhere safe. She hadn’t answered a single one of Lucy’s questions because there hadn’t been enough time to explain. But if Makarov knows why her mother sent her to Fairy Tail, then maybe he knows what happened. She voices these thoughts aloud. 

Makarov’s answering frown is enough. “I’m sorry, but she didn’t tell me anything. All she asked is that we welcome you into our guild and give you a chance at the wizarding life.” He explains, and the hope that had slowly been building in Lucy’s chest bursts. 

“Oh, I see…” She mumbles dejectedly. Her budding hope is suddenly replaced with dread, because why would her mother send her away for her protection? Something or someone must have been after her. 

“I know that isn’t what you want to hear, Lucy, and I’m sorry that I can’t provide you with something more comforting. But what I can offer you, child, is a home. You are fully welcome to join our guild and become a member of the Fairy Tail family.” Makarov offers with a smile. “We’re quite the rowdy bunch though, as I’m sure you saw earlier.” He jokes, and it makes Lucy giggle quietly. 

She’s incredibly worried about her mother, but what can she do? She’s only ten years old, and her magic isn’t strong enough to be useful to anyone. Her mother sent her here for her safety and benefit. She should honor her mother’s wishes, whether they be her last ones or not. 

And maybe… just maybe, when she’s old enough, she can look for Layla, along with Stella. 

A sudden thought strikes her. What if she loses this family too? She lost Stella and the Heartfilias after all. What’s to stop her from losing Fairy Tail as well? A newfound anxiety grips at her, but Lucy can’t let that stop her. After all, joining Fairy Tail has always been a dream since Layla told her about the rambunctious magical guild. She’s here now, finally able to join a lot sooner than she thought. So maybe she should join, like her mother wanted. And she’ll just… keep her distance. 

With both a newfound determination and resolve, Lucy nods, “I’ll join.” 

* * *

Lucy doesn’t open up to anyone in Fairy Tail for a few days. She simply sits at a table away from the other kids by herself and stares down at the dark wood. A few of the other kids approach her and try to talk, like Lisanna and Eflman. She politely says a few words to them whenever they approach, but she doesn’t say much. 

Lisanna’s older sister, Mirajane, tries to goad her into interacting with her and the other kids, but Erza steps in. It causes one of their typical fights and Mira’s goal of getting Lucy to talk is forgotten. 

She doesn’t mind being a loner though, it gives her time to observe her guild mates. Like Makarov had told her, the guild is quite rowdy. Most of the kids around her age are pretty civil, with the exception of a few. Erza and Mira get into numerous fights throughout the day. They aren’t the only ones who fight often though. 

Erza is constantly breaking up fights between Natsu, the boy who had been thrown into the door when Lucy arrived, and Gray, who has a rather unconventional habit of stripping. 

The guild hall is always loud, but Lucy enjoys the noise. It’s easy for her to get lost in a routine, and without her noticing, the days slip by. 

And it isn’t until four days after Lucy joined the guild that something big happens. 

It’s a regular day for Lucy. She’s at the guild nice and early, when things are still quiet. She finds her table and sits down and stares off. Hours tick by and the guild starts to become full with people. 

She allows herself to enjoy the presence of people around her as she sits by herself. Letting herself get lost in thought, Lucy’s eyes trail down to her right hand where her guild mark resides. She absentmindedly traces the pink mark with a gentle finger. 

It’s as she’s staring down at her guild mark that someone approaches her. 

Hearing someone sit down across from her, Lucy looks up from her hand. She blinks in confusion as she stares into the gaze of Natsu Dragneel. He’s staring at her with furrowed brows, with a gaze that Lucy can only guess is a scrutinizing one. “Um… can I… help you with something?” Lucy asks. 

Natsu crosses his arms and leans forward, not once letting up on his stare. 

And then— “You smell.” 

As soon as the words leave his mouth, the guild hall, which had previously been quiet upon noticing Natsu approaching their newest member, erupts into various noises.

Lucy’s sensitive ears pick up on Mira’s wild cackles while Lisanna sighs and face palms. Erza huffs with disapproval and Gray laughs. Though his laughter doesn’t last long as Cana makes a comment about his lack of shirt. 

“Natsu, you can’t just say that to a girl!” Macao scolds from his seat next to Wakaba. 

Natsu looks over at him, a frown on his face, “Why not?! I’m just telling her the truth!” He exclaims. “She  _ reeks _ !” 

Lucy, meanwhile, is staring at the boy in front of her with shock. She feels her eyebrow twitching in annoyance as her hands ball into fists in her lap. “You…” 

Nats glances back at her, “Yeah?”

“ _ You _ smell!” Lucy suddenly screeches, very annoyed. Who does he think he is, telling her she smells?! 

Everyone watches with bated breath for Natsu’s response. Lucy pouts at Natsu as he raises a brow and tilts his head. “Well of course I do! I was raised by a dragon after all!” He exclaims, and the adults who are sitting on chairs nearly fall out of their seats. 

It takes a few seconds for Lucy to process what Natsu just said, and what he  _ meant _ . When he said she smelled… he meant she smelled like a  _ dragon.  _ At least, she hopes that’s what he meant. As soon as it clicks for her, she gasps and slams her hands on the table as she stands. “You were raised by a dragon too?!” She asks.

"No way! You're telling me that little girl is a dragon slayer?!" Voices cry out upon Lucy's exclamation. 

Suddenly feeling everyone’s eyes on her, Lucy sits back down, embarrassed. Natsu, however, remains unbothered by the attention of the guild, and grins at her, “Yeah! I was raised by Igneel, the Fire Dragon!” He replies. “What about you?” 

“Stella, the Star Dragon.” Lucy answers, feeling an excitement starting to bubble in her chest. She can’t help but look at Natsu with awe. “I never knew there was someone else raised by a dragon like I was!” 

“Me either!” Natsu happily says. His expression falls for a second before asking, “So… where’s Stella now? Do you know?” 

Lucy’s eyes drop to her lap as she frowns, “No… she disappeared one day without saying a word. I woke up and she was… gone.” 

“She didn’t happen to disappear on July 7th, X777, did she?” Natsu asks and Lucy nods in response. 

“Did…” Lucy frowns at her question, but she has a sneaking suspicion that needs to be confirmed. “Did Igneel disappear the same day?” 

Natsu frowns and nods, “Yeah… woke up and he was gone…” 

She sits back and crosses her arms as she processes what she’s been told. There’s definitely some sort of connection here. Truthfully, Lucy still can’t believe that she wasn’t the only one trained by a dragon. And if Natsu’s dragon disappeared on the same day, the same month, the same  _ year _ , then could there be something bigger going on? 

“Aw man, this is awesome!” Natsu suddenly exclaims, startling Lucy from her thoughts. She looks at him with confusion and as he meets her gaze he grins. “We can look for Igneel and Stella together!” 

She stares at Natsu, completely dumbfounded by what he said. Despite wanting to avoid it, Lucy feels some sort of connection to him, a camaraderie. 

And she can’t help but smile, all wide and bright. “Yeah!” 

**Author's Note:**

> catch me on twitter & tumblr @dreamsofmochi


End file.
